If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Reflective spiders?

I have been seeing these recently in southeast Texas. They reflect quite well with a flashlight from at least 30 ft. away.
They appear as a tiny bright green reflective speck. If you didn't check, you would think it is a small piece of glass, except it's brighter than glass would reflect.

Re: Reflective spiders?

Might be a wolf spider. We get them around Kentucky. When I first noticed them, I thought it was dew. Their eyes reflect a bright green/yellow/orange (depending on the angle). If in the city, I can see how they could easily be mistaken for broken glass. Just less scary! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

Re: Reflective spiders?

I see em all the time at night! whatever they are , their bodies are too small to see. The reflection comes from their eyes I think, an incredible jewel-like irridesence, greenish, but other colors sparkle in there too..just beautiful little ground gems of the night!

"..At night, wolf spiders can be collected by taking advantage of their eyeshine. If you hold a flashlight or a headlamp up by your forehead, the light from the flashlight will reflect off of the tapetum located in the eyes of the spider (much as a cat's eyes reflect light).
What is a tapetum? It is a layer of reflective cells in the back of the eyes that functions to increase the amount of light hitting the retina of the spider. Relatively few spider families have a tapetum, and thus using eyeshine is often an excellent way to find wolf spiders. Other families in the US that have eyeshine include the Pisauridae or the fishing spiders. Some crab spiders also have eyeshine.."

Re: Reflective spiders?

The one I saw last night, was facing to my right. What I mean is, I was looking at its side. It must be those most posterior eyes I was seeing.
I came in, and came back out in a few minutes, and it was in the same place. In again and out again, and it still hadn't moved.
It finally moved after about the 6th picture I took of it, when I got within about 8" of it. So, it seems the ones here in Texas are fairly spook-proof.

I'll be keeping an eye out for these spiders (pun intended), they're interesting.

Re: Reflective spiders?

I've got those things crawling all around stuff in the backyard and I hope they're keeping a limit on the other insects.
I wasn't too sure what those brown markings on the back were. I just assumed they were brown recluses but they look exactly like the ones in your pics.